City seeks DOTr’s review of ‘better’ BRT design

The Cebu City Government has asked the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to review the proposed improvements in the Banilad-Talamban (BanTal) section of the multi-billion-peso Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project.

City Administrator Nigel Paul Villarete said the review seeks to determine if the dedicated lane for the buses in the Banilad and Talamban sections will be applicable.

The dedicated lane for buses was originally recommended during the pre-feasibility study, but excluded from the feasibility study.

“Two weeks ago, the mayor wrote DOTr requesting for a review of the execution methodology and a revision of the implementation timeline for the Cebu BRT project,” Villarete told SunStar Cebu.

“This was in line with the agreements reached during the World Bank mission a few months back,” he added.

Removed

Villarete clarified, though, that the request for review before DOTr doesn’t mean that they’re scrapping the BanTal route from the project.

In a Facebook post, Councilor Joel Garganera said he heard that the BanTal route will be removed.

“Latest I’ve heard is that they are scrapping the Banilad-Talamban area from the BRT route,” he said.

When interviewed, Garganera said the proponent of the BRT project realized that making the BanTal area as a mixed route is no longer feasible because it runs counter to the project’s purpose.

But Villarete said it is not true, adding that the project has even registered a 53-percent profitability potential.

Villarete said the review will pave the way for a better BRT design.

“All of this will ultimately be decided by DOTr, the World Bank and AFD (Agence Francaise de Development), but we are confident that we have sufficiently explained the advantage of the upgrading,” he said.

Earlier, Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he wants the road-sharing scheme on the BanTal route of the project reviewed, and he will let the public decide on the matter.

“Let the people decide, that’s how it works if they want it that way. This is what I want in the beginning because the important thing is people can see what is this (project) really about,” he said.

Traffic

Critics of the project, including Presidential Assistance for the Visayas Michael Dino, were concerned about the road-sharing scheme along BanTal as it is seen to worsen the already heavy traffic condition in the area.

Based on the feasibility study, the buses will have a dedicated lane from Bulacao to Ayala Transport Terminal.

Once the buses reach the BanTal area, it will join other vehicles on the regular lanes.

The BRT, as a mass transport system in the city, has been identified as one of the ways road traffic may be eased.

The facility, once in place, will have 176 buses and is projected to serve 330,000 passengers daily. /